Name: Bengali Kacha Aam & Masoor Dal Shorba
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: ¼ cup Split Red Lentils, Masoor dal, washed thoroughly; ¼ cup Raw Mango, peeled and cubed; ½ tbsp Mustard Oil, for authentic tempering; ¼ tsp Mustard Seeds, black mustard seeds; 1 Dried Red Chili Peppers, whole; ¼ tsp Ground Turmeric, for color; ½ tsp Sugar, to balance the sourness; 2 cup Water, for boiling and thinning; ½ tsp Salt, to taste

35 mintotal

Prep 10 min · Cook 25 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: Medium

Add to your week

Ingredients

¼ cupSplit Red LentilsMasoor dal, washed thoroughly
¼ cupRaw Mangopeeled and cubed
½ tbspMustard Oilfor authentic tempering
¼ tspMustard Seedsblack mustard seeds
1Dried Red Chili Pepperswhole
¼ tspGround Turmericfor color
½ tspSugarto balance the sourness
2 cupWaterfor boiling and thinning
½ tspSaltto taste

Quantities are for 2 servings.

You'll need: Stovetop, Pressure Cooker.

Method

In a pot or pressure cooker, boil the washed red lentils with a portion of the water, a pinch of turmeric, and salt until completely soft and mushy.
Once the dal is cooked, whisk it well to make a smooth base. Add the remaining water to make it soup-like.
Add the raw mango cubes to the boiling dal. Let it simmer for 8-10 minutes until the mango chunks are tender but not completely dissolved.
8–10 min
Stir in the sugar to balance the intense tartness of the mango. Turn off the heat.
For the tempering, heat the mustard oil in a small pan until it smokes slightly. Lower the heat, add the mustard seeds, and let them pop.
Add the dry red chillies to the oil, fry for 5 seconds, and pour this sizzling tempering over the hot lentil-mango broth.
5 sec
Cover the pot immediately for a few minutes to trap the mustard aroma before serving.

How to tell it's done

A vibrant yellow, thin, and flowing broth dotted with soft, tangy morsels of mango.

Getting it right

Tip

Depending on how sour the raw mango is, you might need to adjust the amount of sugar. The perfect soup should hit notes of sour, sweet, and spicy simultaneously.

What to serve it with

Excellent as a refreshing appetizer on a hot summer afternoon, served in small bowls.

Rajasthani Papad Paneer Shorba

Papad paneer shorba is a Rajasthani soup that builds its body from roasted papad and yoghurt rather than stock.

25 minvegetarian

Rajasthani Pyaz Tamatar Shorba

Pyaz tamatar shorba builds a Rajasthani broth on slowly browned onion and tomato.

25 minvegetarian

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Roasted pumpkin soup roasts the pumpkin first, which concentrates its sweetness before it is blended.

55 minvegan

Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup

Roasted red pepper and tomato soup chars both before blending, which gives the soup its smoky edge.

50 minvegetarian

South Indian Pepper Rasam

Pepper rasam is a thin South Indian broth built on crushed black pepper and cumin, drunk as much as eaten.

40 minvegan

South Indian Poondu Rasam

Poondu rasam is a garlic rasam, thin and sharp with tamarind, taken when someone is unwell.

25 minvegan